The original blog covering Barry County and West Michigan's political scene.

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Thoughts that Cross my mind

It struck me that the people I hear who use every single cool day in the summer to sarcastically ask "where's that Global Warming" (never mind that any 3rd grader should be able to tell you Global Warming refers to average global temperatures and not any one day or year in any one region) are also the same ones who complain that the stimulus hasn't helped because we are still losing jobs (never mind that the stimulus may in fact have kept tens or potentially hundreds of thousands of people from being unemployed which would have added to those numbers even more) and that it has cost too much were also the same ones who said repealing the Bush tax cuts would be a "job killer" while ignoring the bloating deficit. These same simple-minded people are also the same ones who blast the Governor for "not doing anything" while cheerleading the G.O.P. to stonewall her every effort and ignore that she's been right from the beginning about what was wrong with the Michigan economy and prevented her from doing anything about it.

These people remind me of our illustrious Attorney General Mike Cox. So fevered in his desire to win the love of the state's right wingers in his bid to be Governor that he talks out of both sides of his mouth when trying to attack that favorite Republican target, Blue Cross Blue Shield. Cox will try to argue one minute that Blue Cross needs to do more to cover the uninsured:

"Let us not forget the mission of Blue Cross is to put people over profits and not profits over people."

But then the next week Cox will turn around and try to knee cap Blue Cross' ability to do that very mission. Just as Blue Cross reports mammoth losses, Cox is trying to follow the GOP playbook of starving the beast in order to drown it in the bath tub. Blue Cross announced losses of $144.9 million in 2008 ("losses in the individual market... could exceed $1 billion by 2011") and plans to eliminate 1,000 jobs yet Cox is fighting the plans of the 'insurer of last resort' to stay solvent. It's obvious what he's doing yet media reports neglect to mention that he seems to want it both ways. He pretends to like Blue Cross' effort to insure the poor yet he does everything he can to prevent them from doing that. While private health care costs sky rocket, Republicans like Cox use BCBS's own mission statement as a cudgel to beat it to death by blocking any possible rate increases, saying it would hurt the poor people Blue Cross is in existence to serve (who would be hurt even more if Blue Cross were killed or privatized as Republican allies like the Mackinac Center have long wished).

For years, Republicans have dreamed of doing away with Blue Cross- just look at how much furor the notion of a "public option" has gotten in the national debate as it goes against everything the modern hyper-capitalists believe in (unregulated markets, a government that competes with the private sector or does what the private sector is unwilling or unable to do). Then look back here at Michigan and ask yourself if these people are really worried that any health care reform which includes the public option won't work... or that it will.

67 comments:

Both Medicare, and BCBS operate as the ideal for Republican anti-government types. Unfunded mandates give the appearance of wanting to help, but gosh doggone it with the ever important tax cuts for larger campaign donors they just can never come up with the money for it. Would you like some more cake?

I'm not sure what happened to Dwyer. He tried to stage a coup at the last regular Dem meeting to become the next chair. Apparently he has no interest in filling the leadership void at the Progressive's. Me thinks that without the blessing (sanction) of the state party, the Progressives have little clout with Brewer and Company. That is not where Dwyer wants to be.

When will the Barry Dems put aside their petty differences and work together toward their common goal? Until the old "leadership" is out of the picture, that will never happen.

A bird told me that ex-chair Anger was asked by the old guard just before they canned her, what she had accomplished in the past six months? I ask, what has the old leadership accomplished in the last two decades? They lost political seats! Barb and her cronies did not get one Dem elected under her watch. Those few Dems that managed to win in Barry county during her tenure did so on their own, or perhaps more rightly, in spite of her.

Heads up for 2010. My friend who considers himself a Republican, was polled at the BC air show the other day. He was asked five questions.1. would you support a ballot initiative to allow gay marriage?2. Would you support a constitutional convention?3. Would you support a change in state term limits?4. Who would you vote for in the Supreme Court Justice race? They listed names with a D or R designator. 5. Who would you vote for governor?

His response was:1. No2. No3. Yes4. He chose one D and one R.5. Cox

He was given $1 for his time. When I asked why he responded the way he did, he said:1. I am against marriage for gays but support their other rights.2. I don't trust the politicians. They will be under the influence of lobbyists and make changes which benefit their cause not our interests.3. I think term limits should be changed. Its time to discuss it.4. Not knowing any of the supreme court candidates, he voted for one D and one R to balance out the court.5. Cox was the only name he recognized.

I take back what I said earlier about you always being right. No win, no participation. To the victor go the spoils.

It takes more than a warm body to make a race. John Loftus is an example. To his credit, he did as you suggest but became recognized as the proverbial perennial candidate i.e. loser. Despite being true, I thought the Banner was rather unkind in branding him as such in their pre-election coverage the last time he ran. He passed on this last election cycle. Probably forever. He always reminded me of Charlie Brown placing his trust in Lucy one more last time to hold the football in place until he kicked it.

As far as the whiners are concerned, be they Progs or Dems, they all want to be the idea person, and if I may borrow a phrase from Mark Englerth (remember him??), they all want someone else to "carry the water". When they finally sucker someone into doing it, they stick out their big old foot and trip them up. I think this plays well into your predictable road kill analogy. In fact, I think the practice has been institutionalized within the Progs and Dems. What is amazing is that unlike the Barry Dems, the Progs have achieved that level of institutionalization a.k.a. eating their young, in less than one generation. They have learned much from Barb before the great schism. No point in reinventing the wheel when you have someone like her to share knowledge and experience.

Maybe some of the old guard will finally get religion and go over to the dark side to help them out. Let's now hold hands, bow our heads,and pray to Jesus.

The opposition to term limits is because politicans love power, and without term limits, they can set themselves up as princes in office until they die, enriching themselves through donations and other slush funds.

Blue Cross needs a lot more strings attached. They waste so much money on advertising. Why does a quasi-government agency need to do this? Also, they are run by millionaires who are getting filthy rich off this "non-profit". Cut the top play of BCBS execs to a $120,000 max.

As for Granholm, she is trying to make things worse. She has refused to cut obvious waste (one big example being the unneeded, unasked for State Police post... the construction of which greatly enriches one of her largest political contributors). Blocking her efforts have kept the state from being in an even worse hole.

Notice how she has made the choice to cut services to the the poor instead of cutting the overpay to state employees. She has the wrong priorities. Government should be to serve the people, not to make people in government richer.

And there is still no evidence that humankind is causing any of it. And much evidence that other factors, including sunspots, cause wild variations in global temperature over the millenia.

The "global warming" term is quietly being shelved due to evidence of global cooling or the earth's temperature leveling off. So the new term is "global climate change". This way, those who want to change public policy based on bad science have all their bases covereds If the earth gets warmer? We have to clobber the US with energy taxes (that China is not subject to at all). If the earth gets cooler? Same bad policy. And still China is not subject to it. Like with the Kyoto Accords, which had the US decrease "Greenhouse Gasses" and had China actually INCREASE them.

The proposed Obama "cap and trade" energy tax proves the "Tea Partiers" correct when they were railing against Obama's huge tax increases.

More on Cox. The Free Press had a good editorial about him filing Amicus brief to stop Chicago's gun control law. Hmmm. As the editorial pondered, why is Cox using our money and his paid time to file legal briefs in a city outside his domain? The FREEP conclusion? COX is pandering to the NRA to stake claim to their the right-wing red-neck members. At a time the state faces such a financial crisis and all the legal State issues needing to be dealt with, Cox would spend our tax dollars on another state's issue. The guy is shameless.

Not sure who you consider the "doers", BarryBoy. I can name some "takers" though!

And dmarks, talk about protecting rights! What right does Mich Attn Gen COX have to usurp Illinois State rights or those of Chicago? COX, with all his personal affair baggage, is just a hack attorney. Until he decided to run for governor, you heard almost nothing of him. Nothing substantive has resulted from his six year tenure as AG.

I hate to harp from the sidelines, but Rep. Calley's letter from Lansing in yesterday's Banner is just a continuation of his near weekly personal fluff and partisan hype.

Thanks to the GOP and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the Michigan business tax structure remains screwed up. The SBT and now its inferior replacement, the hastily concocted Michigan Business Tax is a jobs killer.

Calley proposes raising the MBT threshold for small businesses. Admirable. But like deja vu all over again, he wants to do it without a way to compensate for the revenue loss.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce strong armed their GOP puppets in the legislature to get rid of the SBT with no clear plan to compensate for the lost revenue. Once done, it threw the state into a financial crisis trying to figure out how to deal with the resultant $2 billion budget deficit. Then, the legislature had to hastily throw together a replacement tax (MBT)that was found to be worse than the SBT. Calley is about to repeat history if he gets his way, and it won't be pretty.

He might be right in assuming that lower taxes will beget greater employment, but the response is not instantaneous. I challenge him to tell us what programs/ spending he will cut or other taxes he will impose to compensate for lost revenue attributed to his business tax breaks.

One more thing, given his age, Calley should not be trying to add credence to his argument saying "I have spent my whole career working with hundreds of small businesses". With age comes wisdom. Calley is not there yet, but he is on his way.

Just a note to Spirogyra,. Dwyer, there are more than one, did not try to stage anything but did vote responsibly as a precinct delegate, to install leadership in the Party that actually wanted to do something beside play leader..He is a bit old to seek such a role himself I think.

At least el is always good for a chuckle. Americans have proved that even corpses can get elected, that is, as long as they run as R's.

Been hearing about Hoekstra's 100 company campaign in which he goes out to learn about business in Michigan. One might have thought that being a congressman for so many years would have enlightened him by now.

Hey, check out this anti-Obama,right wing, fear mongering, bullshit email that I received and is making the rounds and is easily discredited at http://m.factcheck.org/2009/07/false-euthanasia-claims/ :

Looks like Dr Jack will be back to work soon?

Everybody on Social Security or with elderly parents simply must listen to the Fred Thompson Interview on Obama's Health Care Bill.

I could not believe this when I listened to it. I'm sending this to many friends with the request that you READ this AND ACT on it! Contact EVERY senator and representative. Ask them to read Page 425 of the proposed health care bill

On Page 425 of Obama's Health Care Bill, the Federal Government will require EVERYONE who is on Social Security to undergo a counseling session every 5 years with the objective being that they will explain to them just how to end their own life earlier. Yes . . . They are going to push SUICIDE to cut Medicare spending! Listen to Fred Thompson Interview. Turn on your speakers and click below.

Fred Thompson: Interviews

Now, CALL YOUR PEOPLE IN WASHINGTON !!!! Tell them to read page 425 if they don't read anything else. Surely, some of them have parents.

You might want to forward the following web site address to everyone in your address book. It provides the email address of every elected official in the United States. The web address is www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml. It might help others make the necessary contacts regarding page 425 of the proposed health care bill..

On Page 425 it says in black and white that EVERYONE on Social Security (will include all Senior Citizens and SSI people) will go to MANDATORY counseling every 5 years to learn and to choose from ways to end your suffering (and your life). Health care will be denied based on age. 500 billion dollars will be cut from Senior's healthcare budget. The only way for that to happen is to drastically cut health care. The oldest and the sickest will be cut first. Paying for your own care will not be an option.

Now you know why he's trying to rush this thru for passage -- before the people find out the facts.

This morning's MSNBC had more on the right winger's "Kill Granny" media campaign.

The repugs and other politicians on the take will stop at NOTHING to protect our failed health care system which showers millions of dollars upon them. In todays news:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32247482/ns/politics/?ns=politics

A campaign on conservative talk radio, fueled by President Obama's calls to control exorbitant medical bills, has sparked fear among senior citizens that the health-care bill moving through Congress will lead to end-of-life "rationing" and even "euthanasia."

The controversy stems from a proposal to pay physicians who counsel elderly or terminally ill patients about what medical interventions they would prefer near the end of life and how to prepare instructions such as living wills. Under the plan, Medicare would reimburse doctors for one session every five years to confer with a patient about his or her wishes and how to ensure those preferences are followed. The counseling sessions would be voluntary.

But on right-leaning radio programs, religious e-mail lists and Internet blogs, the proposal has been described as "guiding you in how to die," "an ORDER from the Government to end your life," promoting "death care" and, in the words of antiabortion leader Randall Terry, an attempt to "kill Granny."

Read the rest of the story through the link above.

In true fashion, the gutless Dumbocrats go into their typical cowardly routine. The article says:

"Democratic strategists privately acknowledged that they were hesitant to give extra attention to the issue by refuting the inaccuracies, but they worry that it will further agitate already-skeptical seniors." Yeah, like the lies that government mandated euthanasia would not strike fear in their hearts?????

Perhaps Prez O'Bama should split from the Dumbocrats and become an Independent. With "friends" like his, who needs enemies?

"I should have written a long description of the failed isolationist policies of the unpopular Republican Party that have encouraged other countries to take the leadership role we used to have in the world."

The Republicans have been pretty strongly in favor of free trade. So much for isolationism. The party is popular, representing the interests of half of the public.

"It will take much longer than six months for the Democrats to repair the damages done for years"

It will take much much longer, if ever, for Democrats to repair the damage.... which is damage that they caused. And are causing now.

"It has occurred to me that one angle might be to reinburse small businesses for half of the new minimum wage for the first year of employment"

Why not just completely abolish the minimum wage, so the companies end up paying workers for the exact value of the work? They'll be able to employ a lot more people, too. Since they won't be wasting money on what amounts to welfare payments to well-off workers.

Bush and friends changed CEO bonuses to be categorized as dividends and thus taxed at a lower rate. Just another example of corporate welfare. High CEO compensation on the backs of hard working americans.

And the biggest blunder...Iraq. A trillion dollars pissed away already, thousands of lives snuffed out, and the untold burden of pain, suffering, and future cost supporting those severely wounded. And that trillion dollars was mostly borrowed money from China since Bush was the first president in our history to cut taxes during a war. Its a debt our children's children will be paying for his ignorance and bravado.

So you think those making minimum wage ($14k/yr) are well-off workers? Apparently you come from old money and have not had to work in a real job.

"[Republicans] supporting free trade? Bush slapped tariffs on imported steel in his first term and killed the US steel industry."

This was Bush's first real mistake for years. And he was roundly criticized for it by Republicans/Conseervatives (see the Heritage Foundation and the Mackinac Center). Yet, he was applauded for this from the Left. The left is where "protectionist" sentiment is the strongest.

"Bush and his repug friends gave the already profitable oil industry huge tax incentives to drill for more profitable oil."

What is your point? The incentives were not a gift.

"Bush and friends changed CEO bonuses to be categorized as dividends and thus taxed at a lower rate. Just another example of corporate welfare."

You have no idea what the term "welfare" means, do you? Welfare is a gift from the government. Stealing less from people (which is what tax cuts do) is a gift of $0. Letting people keep their own stuff is never a gift. You clearly did not name an example of corporate welfare.

If a mugger takes your wallet and lets you keep your shoes, do you consider these shoes a "gift" from the mugger?

(Corporate welfare did come in the Bush years, but only at the end. In the form of the massive bailouts. However, the Democrats urged him to do this. And Obama continued the policy on a more extensive level. So it is more of a Democrat than Republican problem).

"High CEO compensation on the backs of hard working americans."

Actually, these CEOs get it on their own "backs": they are paid what they earn, for their own work. As hard-working Americans. It is not off the backs of other hard-working Americans.

"And the biggest blunder...Iraq."

Not a blunder at all. The only blunder would not have been to retaliate against the terrorists.

"And that trillion dollars was mostly borrowed money from China"

Very wrong there, too. For one thing, the cost is less than $700billion. You are so innacurate. This is spread over several years. It is a drop in the Federal budget, and easily covered by existing tax revenues.

"No, for one thing since Bush was the first president in our history to cut taxes during a war."

So? the tax cuts resulted in more revenues coming in. And the necessary retaliation against Iraq was no reason to halt good domestic policy decisions like reducing the overhigh tax burden.

Also, the war was against Saddam and the terrorists. That's no reason to also keep punishing the US population with unnecessary overtaxation.

"So you think those making minimum wage ($14k/yr) are well-off workers?"

It is a fact that a large proportion of them are. Teenagers in middle class (or better) families. The minimum wage laws do not "means test" between these people, and those like the single mother of 5.

"Apparently you come from old money and have not had to work in a real job."

Apparently you don't think before you type. So you make stuff up.

But it is a good point that you bring up "old money". Minimum wage laws force small business to give unearned handouts to everyone, including people who are part of rich "old money" families. Minimum wage laws are welfare for the rich.

This makes no sense. For one, it bankrupts small businesses to be forced to give handouts like this. For another, it is not means tested, so the people getting the handouts get no matter what their situation.

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